Croquet is a game that involves hitting balls with a mallet. There are several types of shots in croquet. A first shot type is called a “single ball shot” and involves causing the mallet to hit a ball. The single ball shot may direct a ball toward a particular location either on or off of the croquet court such as toward or through a hoop (the international name) or a wicket (the American name); at a peg (international name) or at a stake (American name); or toward another ball. When directed at another ball, a player's goal may be simply to just touch (“roquet”) the second ball (the “object” ball) or to move (“rush”) the object ball a particular distance, either straight ahead (a “straight” rush) or at an angle (a “cut” rush).
A second shot type is called a “croquet shot.” After one ball hits another, the rules of croquet require two actions. First, the hitting or “striker” ball must be picked up and placed in contact with the struck or “croquet” ball. The contact point may be anywhere on the croquet ball at the selection of the player. Further, the rules require the striker and croquet balls to remain in contact prior to the croquet shot. Second, the player must use his mallet to hit the striker ball and only the striker ball such that both balls move or at least shake. Impacting the striker ball usually causes both balls to advance to new locations. The croquet shot causes both balls to travel certain distances and may end up separating the balls by a desired angle. A “straight croquet” shot occurs if both balls travel in basically a same direction with different distances. A “split” shot occurs if both balls travel different directions and distances.
One strategy employed during a croquet shot involves moving the croquet ball a small distance or causing it only to shake during take-off. When these shots cause the two balls to deviate by approximately 90 degrees they are called “take-offs.” Another strategy employed during either a croquet shot or a single ball shot is called “peeling,” which involves causing a ball, other than a player's own ball, to run to its next hoop and thereby score a point for the ball. A peel can be accomplished with a rush shot, a croquet shot, or a take-off.
A third shot type is called a “cannon shot.” The cannon shot occurs when a ball is rushed to a boundary and settles directly behind another ball such that the two balls seek to occupy a same space. In this case, the croquet shot is set up as discussed above, with the striker ball contacting the croquet ball. Furthermore, a third ball is placed in contact with the croquet ball such that a gap is provided between the third ball and the striker ball. The gap may be small or large at the option of the player.
Shots in croquet require extreme precision. For example, a single ball shot aimed to pass through a hoop typically has a clearance of no more than ⅛″ on each side. In tournament play, the clearance may be as little as 1/64″. When aiming one ball at another ball in an attempt to roquet or rush the object ball, misaligning the striker ball by ⅛″ may cause it to entirely miss an object ball positioned barely 5′ away.
There are at least three skills that must be mastered to consistently and correctly hit a croquet shot. First, the croquet shot should be hit at a correct angle. This involves forming a correct angle between (1) a line that extends through the centers of the touching striker and croquet balls and (2) a line that extends through the center of the striking ball along a path of the striking mallet. Second, the striker ball should be hit with a proper force. Third, the player should use the correct “shot type.” In other words, the player should correctly angle the face of the mallet during impact, should hit a correct contact point on the striker ball with the mallet, and should direct the mallet into the striker ball at the correct path angle. A small mistake in any of these three areas may cause a croquet shot to fail. This may end a turn or, even worse, lose a game.
It takes years for a croquet player to understand and gain the skills needed to execute shots during a game. While there are books and videos that describe, illustrate, and even demonstrate various single ball shots and croquet shots, there are virtually no aids that train a player in execution of these shots. Furthermore, there are virtually no practice training aids that provide feedback to indicate and fix errors. Additionally, there are no playing aids that aid actual play. Other drawbacks exist.